How it works

To do the shuffle, people first imagine a word — that doesn't repeat any letters — as they're lying in bed.

Then they think up lists of words that start with each letter of the root word they chose.

So, for example, if someone picked "bird," they would come up with four lists of words starting with the letters B, I, R and D.

Beaudoin, who tested the method with over 150 students, said people often start to feel tuckered before they're finished with the first letter.

"You shuffle your thoughts to sleep," the professor said.

"It's a bit more engaging than, say, counting backwards and it's also a bit more demanding ... it feels like it's easy, but the brain is quite busy when you're doing that."

SFU professor Luc Beaudoin has received considerable attention worldwide for the technique he devised to help put your mind into sleep mode. (SFU)

Beaudoin also created an app, dubbed mySleepButton, that suggests words for users to help get the ball rolling. (The researcher said coming up with your own is the "do-it-yourself" way.)

"I think people find it interesting that there's a new kid on the block in terms of techniques that people can use in bed as they're trying to fall asleep that doesn't involve medication," Beaudoin said. "It's kind of original and it's fun."